Weber Shandwick Promotes Colin Byrne to European CEO

Weber Shandwick announced today the promotion of UK & Ireland CEO, Colin Byrne to CEO, Europe.

In his new role, Byrne will continue to report to Weber Shandwick President, Andy Polansky and will remain the lead on Weber Shandwick’s London and UK businesses.

Weber Shandwick in EMEA comprises 78 offices in 58 markets. Over the past four years alone, Weber Shandwick has expanded its footprint in Europe and has won 80 national and international industry awards.

“Colin has done an outstanding job leading our UK and Ireland operations since assuming the leadership post in 2003. In that time we have grown our business and burnished our reputation for client work and industry-leading thought leadership.” Polansky said. “It’s important that in today’s interconnected world of business that we have an integrated approach to how we manage clients and how we manage our operations. The time is right for Weber Shandwick to have one overall leader of our European operations.”
 
Byrne continues; “Weber Shandwick is a terrific firm with a fantastic European network and I am very much looking forward to this next stage of my career in PR.”

Byrne is one of the UK’s leading PR practitioners with over 20 years’ experience spanning domestic and international media relations, politics, global campaigns and issues management. After joining Weber Shandwick in 1995, he rose to lead the public affairs practice in London in 1997 before becoming CEO of the agency’s UK & Ireland region in 2003.

Prior to Weber Shandwick, Byrne was Head of Press & Broadcasting at the Labour Party, where he served as deputy to then communications director Peter Mandelson, and press aide to Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Jack Straw and other Labour leaders. In 1992 he became the first communications director of The Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum.